Red Lions: “The players are ready” – other sports

“We are really looking forward to playing such an important match. There is still a bit of work to be done but the players are fully prepared. They watched the Australia game on Tuesday night so they have an idea. Just what kind of meeting awaits them,” national team coach Shane McLeod said on Wednesday, the day before the final.

This duel promises to be intense between the Kookaburras and the Red Lions, respectively first and second in the world rankings and unbeaten since the start of the competition. “It can be said that it is an ultimate dream,” said the New Zealand coach. “The two teams have a fairly similar trajectory. Australia was very good in the group stage before they had some difficulties against the Netherlands (in the quarter-finals, note). But on Tuesday against Germany, they were very effective. The same for us. It was difficult against Spain is in the quarter-finals but in the end the quality prevailed. I think this final brings together the two best teams.”

Like the Belgians, the Australians have a physics-based gameplay. “They are good athletes, they love the fast game,” the technician added before detailing the few differences between the two teams. “We’re a little more defensive and we build more by keeping the ball. The Australians attack faster, try to go down quickly on the counter-attack. They’re more opportunistic. If we defend well we can create problems for them. With Tim Brand (five goals in the championship, notable), They have a very good striker, who can do damage in our circle. We have to keep a close eye on him.”

If Australia can count on the brand, Belgium simply has the tournament’s top scorer in the person of Alexander Hendricks. The penalty corner specialist scored the net fourteen times. Tom Boon can also cause damage at this particular point in the hockey game, but the Lepolod striker has so far been unable to shine in Tokyo, due to a calf injury. In the semi-finals, Shane McLeod separated him from the core. His presence in the final is still uncertain. “We’ll see. The group hasn’t been decided yet, and we’ll make a decision later today.”

McLeod, 52, will play his last game at the Lions on Thursday since arriving in October 2015. He has since won the silver medal in Rio in 2016 before winning the world (2018) and European (2019) titles. . The completion of the Olympic gold medal will be the end in the apotheosis of the one who will pass the baton to his assistant, Dutchman Michael van den Heuvel. “It would be very satisfying, to add icing to the cake. But even if we fail, you won’t erase all the great things that have already been achieved. I think it’s a privilege to work with these guys. Honestly, I’m just trying not to worry too much because,” Shane McLeod said. This is the last.”

“We are very excited to play such an important match. There is still a bit of work to be done but the players are fully prepared. They saw the Australia game on Tuesday night so they have an idea. Determining what kind of meeting awaits them,” said national team coach Shane McLeod on Wednesday, The day before the final, this duel promises to be intense between Kookaburras and Red Lions, respectively number one and two in the world rankings and unbeaten since the start of the competition. “It can be said that it is an ultimate dream,” the New Zealand coach said. “The two teams have a fairly similar trajectory. What. Australia was very good in the group stage before they had some difficulties against the Netherlands (in the quarter-finals, note). But on Tuesday against Germany, they were very effective. The same for us. It was tough against Spain in the quarter-finals but in the end the quality prevailed. I think this final brings together the two best teams.” The Australians, like the Belgians, have a physical style of play. “They are good athletes, they love the fast game,” the technician added before detailing the few differences between the two teams. “We are a little more defensive and we build more by holding with the ball. The Australians attack faster, try to go down quickly on the counterattack. They are more opportunistic. If we defend well, we can create problems for them. With Tim Brand (five goals in the tournament, notable), they have a very good striker, capable of doing damage in our circle. We have to keep a close eye on him.” If Australia can count on the brand, then Belgium simply has the top scorer in the tournament in the person of Alexander Hendricks. The penalty corner specialist has managed to score the net fourteen times. Tom Boon can also cause damage in these The specific stage of the hockey game, but the Lepolod striker has not yet been able to shine in Tokyo, due to a calf injury. In the semi-finals, Shane McLeod kicked him out of the hole. His presence in the final is still uncertain. “We’ll see. The group has yet to be decided, we will make a decision later today.” McLeod, 52, plays his last game at the Lions on Thursday since arriving in October 2015. He has since won the silver medal in Rio in 2016 before winning world titles (2018) and European (2019).. Finishing the Olympic gold medal would be the ultimate in the apotheosis of the one who would pass the baton to his assistant, Dutchman Michael van den Heuvel.” It would be a huge relief, adding the icing to the cake. But even if we fail, it will not erase all the great things that have already been achieved. I think it’s a privilege to work with these players. Honestly, I’m just trying not to worry too much because it’s the last,” Shane McLeod said.